Drunk driving accidents are growing shockingly despite the awareness efforts made by the government. A DUI accident, or drunk driver accident affects many lives and fetch horrible consequences for both parties, injured and at-fault. Though at first, grief and sorrow of an accident seems overwhelming, but as the time passes and other problems arise, the affected family has to put the grief of their pain aside and make them strong enough to face the hurdles.
If a person gets injured in a DUI (driving under influence) accident, this sets him back from his wages temporarily or permanently in case of disability, piling up medical bills, counseling charges to deal with the trauma and vehicle repair or replacement.
If your loved one dies in such an accident, there are sudden funeral bills, travel expenses and medical bills awaiting. This doesn’t even include the intensity of emotional and physical damage a family has to bear.
In this blog we are going to discuss how the affected family should prioritize their financial problems and learn the way to do it as perfectly as we can.
What to do first?
At the very beginning, when this incident occurs, the affected family must hire a DUI accident lawyer. A drunk driving lawyer knows how to work for you to gain what you need most in this time, which are absolutely financial funds to take care of your family and the injured loved one.
Every state has laws which is strictly focused on benefitting the people who don’t drink and drive, Especially in south carolina one of the famous city which has more citizens also tourists, People who got injured can get help from hit by a drunk driver myrtle beach lawyer as so you get yourself released from the legal operations. These attorneys have a team of experts to make efforts from your side and release your shoulders from the administrative and monetary problems you are facing.
After hiring a drunk driving accident lawyer, we would move a step further to the next steps.
Important Steps to Take
It is very important for you to know about the place of all kinds of documents related to the accident and other things for rainy seasons in the home. We will go through the process step by step.
· Car Insurance
Your car insurance may include your car and medical insurance. Moreover, it may also include and you should seek for rental car coverage, loss of wages, repair services needed and compensation for pain and emotional loss. In rare cases insurance companies do not pay for many of these benefits and a civil lawsuit is necessary to file against the company. Find your car insurance and let the company know right after the accident about it so you may get your funds soon.
In Arizona, however, and in some other states, are fault states, when it comes to insurance, meaning, if the driver at-fault has liability insurance, you, the victim, will get those benefits.
· Medical Insurance
If the victim has medical insurance, this will cover most of your hospital bills that car insurance doesn’t. Moreover, some organizations also offer health insurance. If the victim has one, identify the documents and review them in accordance with the offers the insurance company makes, with policies and hospitals. Immediately inform the medical insurance company and employer about the accident for health insurance to start the process.
You should also review the policy to find if they offer a waiver of premiums, meaning this covers the premiums for the injured person.
· Life Insurance
In case your loved one lost his life in a DUI accident and he owns life insurance, find that. The money from life insurance is immediately payable to the beneficiary. This will also help you to stay out of this financial well. In some cases, there may be delays, especially if it seems to be a suicide, which is hardly possible.
Be aware that if your loved one has life insurance, you must know about that. There are millions of dollars unpaid from hundreds of cases because beneficiaries did not know about that.
· Employee Benefits
When a person gets injured in a DUI accident, it is important to know how long he will not be able to join work. If there is no critical body failure but the healing process is slow, then he may ask his employer to grant him unpaid leaves of absence. And if there is a critical body failure like temporary disability with a long healing and medication process, they can also request a transfer to a nearby place, if there is no limitation.
You should also know your rights in the Americans Disability Act and Family Leave Act to get you all the benefits possible by the law.
· Social Security Disability Benefit
A person working before the crash and getting disabled, permanent or temporarily, and unable to do work, with a physician’s note to not to join work at least for a year, or a condition leading slowly to death, and unable to get a normal employment, will get the benefits. Usually, benefits don’t start to pay until the 5 consecutive months of disability, you must apply for the benefits on the first hand.
· Crime Victim Compensation
This is a program to aid the victims of a crime, that includes the victim and the family, to compensate and reimbursement non property expenses. The benefits include funeral costs, medical bills, lost wages and some other. Remember, these benefits can only get when other types of coverage end, like insurance etc.
· Restitution
Restitution is the money paid by the at-fault party to compensate the affected one, directly to the victim. But usually, this process can take a very long time, especially when an at-fault party has nothing to pay. This process can take months or even years.
Final Note
DUI accident consequences may take years to heal to the normal. It is worth remembering that the trauma, injured person and family takes, enough to affect all activities, especially decision making. Emotional pressure, financial burden and psychological factors badly affect the person in charge of the home and expenses. So, you must take precautions and take advice from a sincere one or the best solution is to hire a legal consultant to make the situation and your shoulders lighter. So, it is best in your favor not to make any significant decisions on your own when the trauma and pain is at its peak.
